Thoughts on the Earthquake and Tsunami

Once again a portion of the world is covered in rubble from an 8.9 earthquake — and the ravages from a "wall of water" from the tsunami. Since then, I have been watching the news. But – more than that – I’ve been thinking about the ramifications of these natural disasters that come our way in the form of earthquakes, tsunamis, and even hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, floods, droughts and the like.

First of all – the videos that have come from Japan are heartbreaking – watching cars and houses crumble and move about like they were toys shows the amazing power of amassed water. The fear of what is going on with the nuclear power plant is also frightening. I’m not sure they are reporting the total truth about that. The human element in all of this is the worst – the mass death and destruction, is hard to imagine. Realizing all of this — it is hard for me to "sit" with this in the comfort of my home. Prayers are all well and good, but the victims need the basics of life now. What is the world’s role? What is *my* role? Yet – too many helpers only confuse things. In many respects – we are all "one" on this planet earth – or we should think of it in that fashion, but how do we take action?

I initially got immersed in the news right about when it happened. I was not able to sleep for some reason – and had also changed the channel from my usual HGTV to CNN. As I watched in the dark and silence of the night, the reports were almost surreal, and there was no going back to sleep for me. Basically I had only 2 hours of sleep that night – max.

Japan was as ready as any country for this kind of tragedy. They know their land is prone to this, and even the word "tsunami", I think, is a Japanese word. Their government is as well structured to handle it as is any country. (as compared to Haiti, for example). But – no one can be truly ready for what happened. 8.9 is "the big one", and I can’t imagine how much worse it would have been if the buildings / roads / bridges had not been built to earthquake codes. And, it’s my opinion that no one can ever be ready for a tsunami like the one they saw. Who could prepare, short of banning all habitation "that" far from the ocean’s shore? To me – this shows, beyond the shadow of a doubt that WE humans are never not in charge.

We humans think we are so smart, and have become cocky enough to think that our brains, amassed knowledge and technology can (or has the potential to) master anything, control everything, and be strong enough for any contingency. The reality is – the universe rules. No matter what we are able to do, or seemingly control, the universe is always capable of being in charge of the outcome. Control is truly only an illusion.

This leads me to the role of God in all of this, and, to be honest … I don’t know. I don’t want to get too heavy into this because, for me, my faith is weak and the unknown is too great. I ask too many questions for which I have no answers. Is God behind the universe and all these natural disasters? If so, how much so? Did He create them and cause them? We give Him credit for nature’s beauty. Should we not also give Him credit for the “bad”? Is it possible that because of our limited human capacity to see the larger picture that we cannot see that there will be some good which can – and will – come out of tragedy? Maybe that benefit won’t affect us – or the Japanese now, but could there be a future plan for all of this? I can’t imagine that this would be much of a consolation to the Japanese most affected by this tragedy, maybe even feeling like a slap in the face! I have heard it said that to try to answer these questions is not our job. Our job is simply to trust that God has a Good Plan for us, and is there to give us strength and comfort during our trials. I also get to thinking about some of the Old Testament “punishments” for “evil doing” by an “angry god”, and it’s also easy for me to go there when these huge disasters strike. I write all of this, but continue to shake my head in bewilderment and skepticism. Yeah … I did start this paragraph about my faith being weak, didn’t I… I’ve come full circle.

Like the US, Japan’s people are used to all the amenities of modern life — electricity, plumbing, technology, communications of all kinds. Once we get "soft" by getting used to these things, having to go without, with little sign that these things will return is maybe harder. I am often amazed at the strength of human character when faced with these kinds of things, though. I’m not sure any of us know our own strength unless we are forced to be strong.

Thankfully the affects of the tsunami was lighter on Hawaii and the Pacific shoreline. Yet — there were people who were either crazed with fear beyond what was necessary – or those foolhardy folks who decided to purposely go out in the surf at the time of the "wave".

Yet – it is reminding me that Ray and I have houses on the two largest barrier islands on the east coast of the US. Are we crazy? We’re not the only ones, either… Humans flock to the beach for it’s beauty and recreation — building houses, hotels, restaurants on the edge of gorgeous beaches, forgetting that all that beauty can turn on us. It’s true that tsunamis and earthquakes aren’t quite as commonplace as they are on the west coast — but they DO happen, and there are fault lines in varieties of places all over the US. It is not out of the question that we could have "the big one" here, too. It’s probably not "if", but "when". I guess we all hope that it’s "not in our lifetime". Humans have a knack for burying their collective heads in the sand and forgetting that even though the ocean is magnificent – and gorgeous. It can turn nasty and mean during storms and tsunamis. Mountains also are majestic and beautiful – but we can’t forget how hills are formed — good old fashioned earthquakes (and volcanoes) are one way our landscape changes. Out of the ashes rise such beauty…?! And good?

Sometimes I think we know precious little about all of this, and we need to learn more.

The day of the earthquake, a friend of mine and I went on a photo walk along a local beach not far from home. It was kind of bittersweet for me to see such beauty – realizing that on the other side of the planet – this same water did such destruction — and how this water could do the same with us. Oddly – I found I appreciated the beauty more – maybe because I was more keenly aware of it’s potential strength, too.

There really are no good words about all of this, and this entry is just me — spinning my wheels – trying to find them. I suppose there rarely are understandable words to explain things when this kind of tragedy hits.

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragedy…. I guess that’s the bottom line.

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4 Comments:

Hi Wendy……. you touched on so many things that I’ve been going through lately. And, it’s weird that I get to share this with you now. Lately, when I say my prayers before I go to sleep, I’ve been questioning my faith too, probably for the first time in my life. I guess it’s because of the pain I feel over my Mom’s death. It’s almost eleven years now, and I still miss her terribly. Her death and my cousins who died just three months before her.

My coulsin, who I always called my “bestest” cousin, whom I loved so dearly and I hadn’t seen each other for twenty years because of something her Mom held “against” my Mom. I even remember the day it happened. So stupid how an innocent query can cause a rift betwen sisters. They were estranged as children so I guess it was inevitable. After her Mom died, we were able to get back together. She felt like a sister to me, and took me for granted (in a good way) the way sisters can. I loved every minute of it. She treated me in a way that made my love for her feel fullfilling. She was back in my life for only a few years (maybe five or six). She was there for me when I got breast cancer in 1997. She knew the battle for she had survived in when she was in her thirties. Then she got liver cancer and we shared many intimate moments while she suffered. The ultimate for me was when her husband called me and “invited” me and my daughters to be with her the night she died.

You might ask why I am telling you all this. . .it is because reading your words tonight brought me to a place of vunerability, recognized in others, in you, and for myself as well. We had a birthday party for John tonight and as usual, the night before I’m having a house full of people and I really need my rest…I didn’t sleep. Here it is the night after and I’m still not sleeping. I’m in too much pain from my fibromyalgia and simply doing too much yesterday on too little sleep. On Friday night, I awoke from a dream at 3 a.m. In my dream something I didn’t quite “see” was about to end my life. Somehow I knew in this dream that I had only seconds (or less) to live. You know how a dream is, sooooooo real sometimes. In that split second when I knew I would be dead immediately…I said: “Jesus, I love you” and then I woke up with my heart pounding in my chest.

Was it the dream or was it the fact that the doctor had earlier in the day told me to increase my Vitamin D to 8000 IU from 4000 IU because in spite of an increase, my blood tests told her that I’m not holding on to the D? Well, whether the meds interfered with my sleep or whether it is just part of my lousy sleep pattern, I woke up in such a panic I couldn’t sleep after that for hours.

Of course while reading your poinant post, I feel many of the same things. No point in repeating what you have written so eloquently. I feel them too. And, I want to say thank you because all I could feel was fear and uncertainty when I listened to the news. I pretty much avoided it because so much of the past tragedy in our country was surrounded by deaths in my family in the past ten years. I lost some of the most important people in my life and my life feels empty because of it. Like I said, I lost my Mom, my cousin, my brother, my “adopted father”, my real father, my Mother-in-law (my best friend) a girlfriend, my father-in-law, an aunt. I’ve got no aunts or uncles left either. So, it is a great blessing that I’ve got John to fill so many voids that have been created by the deaths of nine of the closest people I’ve known and loved. Will I ever see them again? This is where I’ve been questioning my faith. That and the fact that I don’t hardly go to Church anymore since my Mother-in-law died in 2009. And I know you get what you put into it.

So Wendy, once again I thank you for sharing from your heart. I felt it in my heart and so you get a long post from me. Good night for now. Love, MaryAnn

It is interesting to read how you plugged into all of this. I think this lack of control in our lives is universal. Death and disease happens. Family feuds happen. Natural disasters happen. None of this can we control.

We all strive to control — even *need* to control — so that we can at least have the illusion (if only for a time) that we can keep some of these bad things away. But — the reality is – we can’t, which is where I got onto talking about the universe – and God’s role – or lack of role. Your dream is a perfect example of our lack of control as to when we die – and how. I guess – for my own sanity I need to believe I have more control than I actually do.

I’m SO glad you have John. I can see how he enhances your life and – in a way – has given you a new life after so many heartaches.

And, as far as church goes. I’m beginning to wonder if church is where one gains faith. It’s my opinion that they don’t easily – or often – address the issue of lack of faith. It’s just assumed you have it. Also — after witnessing several unpleasant and un-Christian conflicts and behavior within the church setting, I’m starting to wonder if the church has gone just as awry as everywhere else. It’s also occurred to me that it’s been this way forever, but I hadn’t chosen to notice it. It makes sense, because churches are made up of … human beings, all of whom have faults and failings. Maybe we — I — expect too much of “The Church”. I stay because I love the music. 🙂

Oh – and lastly — I’m also on Vitamin D. I had low counts of it last doctor’s appointment, and I’m on 1,000 IU, but haven’t had it tested since I’ve started. We’ll see next time I go. I’m also on Vitamin B12 as well. (5,000, IU)

I wish I could bring myself to answer this, and Mary Ann’s comment, too, because there is a LOT to say, but I’m just not at a place where I can “rally round the flag” and discuss with ANYBODY where the depth of my own faith lies.

I’m absolutely ___________________ (vocabulary failure) by everything that’s unfolding before my eyes in Japan, etc., and I just can’t bring myself to do much else but watch in horror. I keep thinking about all the animals that perished and untold numbers of people, and I think it’s more than I can bear most of the time.

As far as faith goes, you know how *I* feel about it and I *THINK* you know what I believe about God’s “part” in it and whether or not He “causes” things like this and/or “sends them upon us”.

I don’t believe He does. I believe that God is GOOD and kind and loving and just, and things like this DEFY the character of God. I believe He has ordered the universe in such a way that actions have consequences . . . both the actions of nature and the actions of human beings. Throw “sin” and “free will” into the mix, and that’s where *I* find my answers.

We’ve pushed the limits of nature (human beings have) and maybe in places, at times, pushed them too far and the natural consequences of those “pushes” are being manifested in earthquakes and tsunamis and wars, etc.,

I think we RIGHTLY give God credit for what is beautiful and kind and loving and good about us and about our world. I lean for my own faith pretty heavily on the wisdom and writings of Dr. Leslie Weatherhead, the great English preacher, in “The Will of God”. Reading that book has been a life changer for me.

He breaks the will of God into three understandable parts . . . (1) God’s intentional will; (2) God’s circumstantial will, and (3) God’s ultimate will. As I understand it the Intentional will of God is for all to live in harmony and peace with each other in beautiful surroundings that nourish and complete each person and creature. His circumstantial will is put into play when the things WE do cause alterations (consequences of our actions) in what He originally intended for us and for His creation. His ultimate will is brought to fruition ANYWAY and in spite of whatever we do to confound His intentional will for a while, and it looks JUST LIKE His “Intentional Will”.

Why would He give us free will and the ability to send ourselves straight to hell if we’re determined to do that? The only way I can make any sense of it is to put it in the context of a loving PERFECT heavenly Father who wants us to come to Him for help and for love and for whatever we need and to come FREELY – to CHOOSE Him. Could He “make us”? I think so. I think He could force us but I think also that He doesn’t because He doesn’t want us to come out of anything but our choice and our love for Him and our desire to be part of His “family”.

As far as the behavior of the church? As the people go, so goes the church. What IS the church anyway? It is no better than it’s weakest, meanest, most hypocritical, most hateful, most back-biting, most racist, or most bigoted member. The church IS “the people”. I believe the church is a vast microcosm of our families, our clubs, our society, and our neighborhoods.

My faith isn’t BUILT at church, but rather sustained there, so I stay. I get angry at times and I get hurt and I threaten to leave and never go back, but that’s not about leaving GOD – it’s about leaving the trappings of PEOPLE that constantly frustrate both God AND me . . .

As I said – I wish I could get my thoughts together in a coherent way, but I’m just not able to do so right now.

One of the things which seems to be universal is the lack of “words” we have for the feelings of devastation that has occurred in Japan. I also felt the same way after the tsunami in Indonesia on December 26th (I forget which year that was). It brings up such helplessness, and the feeling that we should ALL be doing SOMETHING. But … what? The overwhelm is too great, and I can feel myself burying my head in the sand.

I have not read that book that you have mentioned many times. You actually GAVE it to me — but for the life of me, it got mislaid, and I can’t find it anywhere. I am sure it’s up north … someplace…?! I remember your explanations of Intentional Will, Circumstantial Will, and Ultimate Will. It makes sense — as anything I’ve ever heard on this subject makes sense.

The thing about this is that I cannot nor will I not accept the fact that God is punishing us for ___ (fill in the blank) by bringing us these earthquakes, tsunamis, and you can include hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, blizzards, etc. Yet — I do not know what WE have done to CAUSE these things to happen – – i.e. – – making them “consequences” for actions of whatever kind. To me it’s all about the earth’s formation (crusts, faults and how they work, and I don’t see that as Man’s doing. If anything is of God’s doing — THAT is (imo). It also has to do with “weather patterns”, which — very possibly — we DO have something to do with it (global warming, for example, and how we are messing with the environment, which has lots to do with climate patterns). But — I’m also sure that these things also are natural, cyclical part of our planet’s climate system.

The thing that I see is that humans are now getting into making judgments as to what is “good” and what is “bad”. Humans say (logically) that tsunamis and earthquakes that kill massive amounts of humans are … “bad”. But – – are they? COULD they are part of God’s Ultimate Will. I mean — are human beings the center of God’s plan? Really? We sure act like we’re the center! In reality, I wonder if We (humans) are just a part of all of God’s domain (whatever that domain encompasses). What is good for us may not be what is good for the Whole. So — could this Tsunami have “Good” written on it by some Ultimate Plan of God’s? Hard to fathom, especially for the Japanese. But, I wonder.

I can’t – and won’t – consider that this is a punishment from God for — whatever. However, if this is the kind of God He is, I want no part of Him. If he’s the punishing kind, let him go about it – but He won’t get the “satisfaction” of my “belief” in Him.

Of course we sin (I’m going to a small group tonight — beginning our study of the “Seven Deadly Sins”), and if we repent of them, we are forgiven. However, what does “forgiveness” REALLY mean. It may still mean that there are consequences for your actions – which could include death, but you will die “forgiven”. Small consolation. Does that ever stink. I can’t accept and love a God that would do that, either.

As far as the church goes. I often wonder if God is sitting there disgusted with us as we mess up our churches with human blunders. Maybe He prays that SOMEONE — instead of running from the sinning within the Church — will work to be part of the solution instead. I don’t know … it all seems hopeless… I say this with all seriousness, but also with tongue in cheek: “It’s too damn hard to be a Christian.” There’s always … something more we haven’t done — or have done that we shouldn’t have. No wonder so many are running from the daunting responsibilities.